Manure-spreader.



W. E. BINKLEY. MANURE SPREADER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 191a.

Patented J an. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. E. BINKLEY.

MANURB SPREADER.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 8, 1913.

1,123,8m Patented Jan.5,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTO-THO, WASHINGTON. D. c

WILLIAM E. BINKLEY, OF LANARK, ILLINOIS.

MANURE-SPREADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915..

Application filed May 8, 1913. Serial No. 766,380.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BINK- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lanark, in the county of Carroll and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Manure-Spreader, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to manure spreaders, one of its objects being to eliminate the friction between the load and the supporting structure so that the minimum power is required for the purpose of feeding the manure to the breaker cylinder.

Another object is to provide improved means whereby the manure conveying elements are actuated, said means being constantly under the control of the driver.

A further object is to provide improved means for regulating the discharge of manure, said means being also adapted for use as an end gate for retaining the load prior to the actuation of the conveyers and the breaking cylinder.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre-' ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of the manure spreader. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing one side thereof. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the other side of the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section through one side of the body of the manure spreader. Fig. 5 is a section on line AB Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section through the front end portion of the body of the machine, said section being taken on the line (1-D Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the mechanism employed for actuating the conveyers. Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the clutch shifting mechanism utilized in connection with the breaker cylinder operating mechanism.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a wheel supported frame preferably provided with a central longitudinally extending beam 2 in which are journaled anti-friction rollers 3 extending above the upper surface of the beam 2. Additional anti-friction rollers 4 are arranged upon the inner surfaces of the sides of frame 1 and project above said sides, as shown in Fig. 4. Standards 5 are mounted on the sides of the frame 1 at desired intervals and support side rails 5 which are parallel with the sides of frame 1. Secured to the sides of frame 1 are angular guide strips 6 which extend above the sides of the frame 1 for the purpose hereinafter set forth. Anti-friction rollers 7 are journaled on these strips 6 and extend inwardly therefrom beyond the inner sides thereof.

Journaled upon the rear end portion of the frame 1 is a transverse shaft 8 carrying sprockets 9. Another shaft 10 is journaled at the front end of the frame'l and carries sprockets 11. This shaft 10 is journaled within adjustable bearings 12 as shown particularly in Fig. 2.

The sprockets 9 and 11 are engaged by endless chains 13 and these chains are connected by parallel cross slats 14, a suflicient number of these slats being provided to extend at least throughout the length of the frame 1 when the machine is set to its greatest capacity. If desired, however, the slats can be extended along the chains so as to form a continuous apron. The slats willobviously travel along the frame 1 and will be supported by the rollers 3 and 4. The slats are su sported close together so as to form a solid bottom and the ends of the slats lie close to the strips 6, said strips thus serving to guide the slats and hold them against displacement transversely of the frame 1.

Shaft 8 has a worm gear 15 which constantly meshes with a worm 16 secured to a shaft 17 arranged under the rear portion of frame 1. This shaft has its front end mounted within a bearing 18 supported by the rear drive axle 19 of the machine and a friction disk 20 is feathered on the shaft 17 and has a grooved collar 21. This collar is engaged by one end of a lever 22, the other end of which is pivotally connected to a rod 23 extending forwardly to a controlling lever 24. Obviously by. means of this lever 24, lever 22 can be shifted so as to move the friction gear 20 toward or from the bearing 18. A friction disk 25 is secured to the axle 19 and rotates therewith, this disk being constantly contacted by the gear 20. It will be seen that by shifting gear 20 toward or from the center of the disk 25, the speed of rotation of the worm 16 can be varied at will. lVorm gear 15 is preferably loosely mounted on the shaft 8 and a clutch 26 is feathered on said shaft while another clutch member 27 extends from the gear 15. A lever 28 engages the movable clutch member 26 and is connected, by a rod 29, to a controlling lever 30 arranged at the front end of the machine. Thus it will be seen that the operation of the shaft 8 and of the bottom apron of the machine can be controlled readily.

That slat 14 located at the front end of the frame 1 under normal conditions, is provided with an upstanding board 31.

J ournaled within the end portions of the side rails 5 and in the end portions of the sides of frame 1 are vertical shafts 32 carrying sprockets 33 on which are mounted endless chains 34 extending horizontally. The chains at each side of the machine are connected bycontacting vertical slats 35, enough of these slats being provided to extend throughout the length of the slat bottom of the structure when the board 31 is at the front end of the frame 1. The ends of this board 31 are secured to the front end slats 35 so that it will be apparent that when the slats 14 are actuated by means of their chains 13, the end board 31 will transmit motion to the side slats 35 and the chains to which they are secured. The side chains 34 can be held taut in any suitable manner, as by providing adjustable bearings 36 at the front end of the machine, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Brackets 37 are mounted upon the rear end portions of the side rails 5 and a gate 38 is interposed between and suspended from these brackets. This gate is adapted to normally extend vertically between the sides of the body of the machine, which sides are formed by the slats 35, and to extend downwardly close to the bottom formed by the slats 14. An arm 39 is connected to and adapted to move with the gate 38 and a rod 40 connects this arm to a controlling lever 41 located at the front end of the machine. 'Thus it will be seen that the gate 38 can be swung open or closed as desired and by providing a toothed segment 42 and a spring pressed pawl 43 or the like, the gate can be held to any position to which it may be adjusted.

'Arms 43 extend rearwardly from the sides of the frame 1 and supported by these arms is ashaft 44 carrying a breaker cylinder 45 having outstanding teeth 46. .A gear 47 is secured to one end of shaft 44 and meshes with a larger gear 48. This gear has a clutch member 49 adapted to be engaged by another clutch member 50 which extends from a sprocket 51. Said clutch member 50 is engaged by one end of an angular lever 52 fulcrumed as at 53 upon one side of the frame 1 and a rod 54 is pivotally connected to the angle portion of lever 52 and is also pivotally connected to a controlling lever 55 located at the front end of the machine. Thus it will be seen that by manipulating lever 55 the clutch member 50 can be shifted into or out of engagement with clutch member 49. A chain 56 engages the sprocket 51 and serves to transmit motion thereto from a large sprocket 57 which rotates with one of the supporting wheels 58 of the machine.

It is to be understood that when the machine is to be used, the aprons constituting the bottom and sides of the machine are to be so disposed as to support the board 31 at the front end of the body, as shown in Fig. 1. V hen the gate 38 is secured in closed position. manure can be placed in the body and will be retained therein. Vhen it is desired to discharge the manure from the machine and to scatter it over the ground, the gate 38 is adjusted angular-1y so that its lower edge will assume any desired position relative to the cylinder 45. The clutch member 26 is then shifted into engagement with clutch member 27 and clutch member 50 is shifted into engagement with clutch member 49. Disk 20 is adjusted along shaft 17 so that said shaft will be caused to rotate at any speed desired. Thus it will be seen that as the machine moves forward, motion will be transmitted from disk 25 and gear 20 to shaft 17 and thence through the worm gearing to the bottom apron. This apron will be shifted rearwardly and will cause the board 31 to pull on the side aprons. Thus the manure held within the body will be drawn rearwardly bodily and without dragging upon the side walls, as is the case where the manure is drawn between stationary sides of a body. Chain 56 will transmit motion through the sprocket 51 and gears 48 and 47 to the shaft of the breaking cylinder 45 and said cylinder will thus be rotated and the teeth thereon will engage the manure and carry it upwardly under the lower end of gate 38 and then throw it onto the ground. The cylinder and the lower edge of the gate will cooperate to break up any lumps which may be conveyed rearwardly by the cylinder.

It is to be understood that instead of utilizing chains and sprockets in connection with the aprons forming the sides and bottom of th'ebody, the slats can be connected by belts mounted on suitable rollers. This modification is so obvious that it isnot deemed necessary to illustrate or describe the same in detail.

While I have referred to the part 45 as a breaking cylinder, it is-to be understood that I do not intend thereby to restrict myself to the use of a cylinder as the breaking element may be of any contour desired and, in fact, can be of any structure capable of rotation.

What is claimed 'is:-

In a manure spreader, a bottom frame, standards upstanding from the sides thereof, connections between the standards, antifriction rollers supported by the bottom frame and said connections, a bottom apron supported by the anti-friction devices on the bottom frame, upstanding aprons at the sides of the bottom apron and including chains extending around the standards, said upstanding aprons bearing outwardly ,against certain of the anti-friction devices,

a board connecting said upstanding aprons and the bottom apron and cooperating therewith to form a body open at its top and rear end, said aprons all extending to the rear end of the body, supporting wheels, means operated by the supporting wheels during the forward movement of the spreader for simultaneously moving the inner flights of the aprons rearwardly, a revoluble breaking element extending across the discharge end of the body, all of said aprons having their inner flights extended up to the breaking element, means operated by the supporting wheels for actuating the breaking element during the rearward movement of the inner flights of the aprons, a gate pivotally supported above and back of the rear ends of the aprons, and means for swinging the gate outwardly and inwardly over the breaking element, thereby to control the discharge of material from the aprons and onto said element.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. BINKLEY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L; WEED, J. WV. CLAY GLATFEL'rs.

'Uepiet oi time patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patenta,

Washington, D. 0. 

